Posts Tagged ‘Rapper’

Tired of people raving over how great Mac Miller and Sam Adams are? How about you take a listen to an up and coming college student from the University of Wisconsin-Madison? Stork Music got a chance to snag an interview with the talented rapper—make sure to check him out on Facebook and download his album for free!

Q: Who are you?!
A: Hello, hello. My name’s Sandy Harkness, but my stage name is Cofax. I’m originally from the Milwaukee, WI area but I attend the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Q: When did you start being involved with music?

A: I’ve been doing music my entire life. At age 6 I begged my parents for a violin even though we had grand piano already. I stuck with that for about seven years until I realized that it wasn’t too impressive to 13 year old girls that I knew how to play ten different minuets. So, I picked up the guitar and messed with that for a couple years but never really put in the effort it took to become great. It just wasn’t my jam, ya know? High school soon followed and that’s the first time I picked up the mic, but it was as a joke. My friend Josh and I started a group called the “The Mentality” and we made a few gag songs that sophomoric freshman in high school thought was funny. Looking back, it was pretty bogus, but it was also the beginning of my songwriting–so I guess it was a good way to start. I picked up the pen again just last fall and found that I had something to say and I was pretty good at saying it.

Q: Who/what are your inspirations?

A: Well, it’s definitely rap music, but I’d like to think it stands alone in terms of originality. I don’t try to emulate anyone and do my best to spit from the heart. So that’s where I think I’m most different from other rappers. I’m not here for money or fame, but rather to just make something that is true and that is mine. You won’t hear anything in my rhymes that doesn’t pertain to me, and I feel like that’s not true for a lot of other artists.

Q: How would you describe your music to someone who has never heard it before? What makes you different from other artists?

A: Well, it’s definitely rap music, but I’d like to think it stands alone in terms of originality. I don’t try to emulate anyone and do my best to spit from the heart. So that’s where I think I’m most different from other rappers. I’m not here for money or fame, but rather to just make something that is true and that is mine. You won’t hear anything in my rhymes that doesn’t pertain to me, and I feel like that’s not true for a lot of other artists.

Q: What’s your songwriting process like?

A: Most rhymers use a pad and a pen. I use my Macbook, which is kind of weird but I find it easier to revise my lyrics. Plus my handwriting is bogus. When it comes to sitting down and writing a song, I usually start by listening to the instrumental 5-10 times so I can get a real feel for it. Then, I kind of haphazardly start rhyming and writing what I feel. A beat always makes me feel a certain way, so I want to write to that emotion. From there, I just go. I usually write a 16 bar verse to start, then a 4 or 8 bar hook and then a few more 16’s. I like my hook to be dictated by the first verse. Then I can write my next verses based off of those two components. I’m not sure of this is an unorthodox way of writing, but this is how I’ve done it since the beginning.

Q: What is your hope for the future?

A: I’ve just recently given up on the idea of working a 9-5 desk job. I know this is where the money is, but it’s definitely not where my heart is. If music pans out, great. But I have my creative hat in a lot of different circles. I own my own clothing line and that is starting to pick up steam. I also write a lot and plan on starting a novella soon. So I guess, it’s my hope that one of these creative outlets turns into something bigger than myself. I want to create something that other people can enjoy, whatever that may be.

Q: Who would be your dream collaboration, and why?

A: I’d love to collaborate with Zion I. If you don’t know them, go download their discography and give it a listen. It’s a collaborative fashioned much like the way Atmosphere is with a producer and an MC. Amp Live has to be one of the greatest beat makers ever, and he doesn’t get nearly as much love as he should. Zumbi is the rapper in the group and his flow is crazy, but it’s his lyrics that make him great–“With or without a record label my rhymes forever stable on the premise.” To share a stage with them would be insane.

Q: What’s something strange or interesting about you that most people don’t know?

A: My real name is Alexander, but have gone by Sandy my entire life. I got a lot of flak when I was little for it, and I still do from the more ignorant of the people I meet. Whatever, I think it’s raw.

Q: Any closing statements?

A: We all have strife and tribulations, one way or another. So for the individual, remember that you are not alone. Keep your fitted’s brim to the sky and everything will be groovy.